It was about a year ago now that I went on a relatively spontaneous trip down to St. George with some friends. I quickly found myself surrounded by strangers at a bonfire on the outskirts of town. It was an interesting group of individuals, to be sure. However, there is one conversation that stuck with me from that night. As I tried to be my best outgoing self and get to know these new friends, one of them surprised me. Our conversation was the typical get to know you. He told me about where he served his mission, living in Provo, and going to school (where I don’t remember). Truly a conversation I’ve had probably hundreds of times. Then, however, he told me about the book he was writing. I was immediately intrigued. It’s not common anymore to meet someone who dedicates time to writing recreationally. In my experience, most people gravitate toward video media as a creative outlet. After all, that is where all of the trends live. It’s the form of media that dominates most people’s time, my age. This inquisitive man proceeded to tell me about his self-help book that he was writing, which detailed the lessons that he’s learned from his life experiences. My first thought when I heard this was how ridiculous it was. How could someone my age produce anything compelling enough for others to read? Barring any extraordinary events or experiences from his life, what could he possibly teach me about self-mastery? I didn’t show it, but in my mind, I was critical of the idea. It almost seemed egotistical to me. How does one come to believe that their advice is good enough for someone else? Aren’t we all trying to figure out life? What qualifies someone who seems rather ordinary to write for others? I’m sure I was whisked away to another conversation soon after, as the rest of the night is blurry to my memory. Upon reflection, I’ve realized the error of my thinking at the bonfire that night.
During my senior year of high school, I was invited to compete to speak at our graduation. My ego immediately craved that privilege. I spent weeks pondering what I would write. Again, however, I struggled with this concept of writing for others. What could I say that would truly be impactful? How many graduation speeches have been given before? How on earth would I, insignificant as I am, write something worthy of commanding 10 minutes of everyone’s time? Ultimately, I wrote a speech that did seem authentic to my experiences, cliché as it turned out. I wanted to exhort my classmates to live in every moment, seize the day, and take advantage of the time we are given. To my dismay, I was not selected to give the speech. But this is where I arrive at the lesson I’ve been trying to get at. Although the only people who ultimately heard this speech were my parents, as I rehearsed in the mirror, I can’t exaggerate the effect that it had on me. In my search for lessons applicable to my classmates, I had explored these concepts and ideas that opened my perspective on life. I truly took to heart what I had written, and the focus I had given to the truth of “carpe diem” had fundamentally changed my attitude at the time. I had begun to live what I was writing. I realized that it wasn’t giving the speech that would make it successful: I had already succeeded in simply writing it.
Sir Francis Bacon once wrote, “Reading maketh a full man; conference a ready man; and writing an exact man.” While probably somewhat important, I don’t believe Sir Francis referred to understanding the rules of grammar or how an em dash works. Thinking back to my experience with that typical Provo resident in St. George, I now see the value of his pursuit. Ultimately, it wouldn’t matter if a single soul besides him arrived to read what he had produced. By simply writing, he was becoming a more exact man. He was seeking out what he believed, exploring it on a deeper level, and, personally, I believe, that is a noble enough pursuit in and of itself. It forces one to articulate the ideas and emotions within oneself.
Ultimately, that’s what this blog is. I want to explore these thoughts, ideas, memories, and emotions that shape who I am. I strive to be a better writer and storyteller, more capable of communicating my lived experience. It seems like a creative outlet that is authentic to who I am. It wouldn’t matter to me if anyone reads what I write on here; my fulfillment comes from the process of writing itself. However, it helps motivate me to have a place where these ideas can reside. This blog will hopefully replace my Instagram, at least to a degree. I hope for it to be a place where I can post my pictures, any videos I make, but especially what I write. It just seems like a more genuine representation of who I am.
Now, in terms of what I will write about, all I can say is that it will be authentically me. Between memories, lessons, interests, experiences, and the occasional unserious composition, I’ll hopefully be able to keep myself entertained. Anything someone who doesn’t take themselves too seriously could produce, you could possibly find here in the future. What I will say is that it will certainly be written using the lens through which I experience life. By that, I mean that I am unable to separate myself and my beliefs from what I write and share. If this blog is truly for me, then it must reflect me. My faith, my upbringing, my accomplishments, my disappointments; it all forms the person who sits behind my Lenovo laptop. Thus, it’s likely each of those elements of me will play a prominent role in what is to come on this wonderful blog of mine.
With that being said, here we go! C’est la vie! Carpe diem! Hopefully, this new project isn’t too weirdly unique and artsy-fartsy to give even me the ick!